Schumer: Trump Picked Ratcliffe for His 'Blind Loyalty'

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer slammed on Sunday President Donald Trump’s choice of Rep. John Ratcliffe to replace Dan Coats as director of national intelligence, The Hill reported.

"It’s clear that Rep. Ratcliffe was selected because he exhibited blind loyalty to President Trump with his demagogic questioning of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller " Schumer said in a statement. “If Senate Republicans elevate such a partisan player to a position that requires intelligence expertise and non-partisanship, it would be a big mistake."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote on Twitter that the successor for Coats "must put patriotism before politics, and remember that his oath is to protect the Constitution and the American people, not the President."

Sen Elizabeth Warren, who is running for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020, added in a tweet that "Our Director of National Intelligence should be above partisan politics, speak truth to power, and resist Trump's abuses of authority. John Ratcliffe doesn't fit that bill."

Axios reported that Trump was impressed by Ratcliffe’s performance during his questioning of Mueller at congressional hearings on Wednesday.

Trump had reportedly soured on Coats several times during his tenure.

At last year's Aspen Security Forum, Coats reportedly angered Trump when he appeared to criticize the president’s ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In January, Coats again was reportedly in Trump’s dog house when he told a Senate committee that North Korea was unlikely to give up its nuclear weapons, which contradicted the president's more optimistic view.

It is not yet clear how the Senate overall will react to Ratcliffe’s nomination, according to The Hill. However, his membership in the House Intelligence Committee will likely appeal to Republican senators.